From docile to beast: Ford Ranger Raptor a two-faced marvel

Time, as the saying goes, doesn’t stand still for anyone. And with a shorter-than-normal two-month “contract” signed, the looming farewell of The Citizen’s now departed Ford Ranger Raptor presented a tricky situation regarding what to do next.

Since its arrival, the Conqueror Grey Raptor had largely been city bound doing the daily commute and running errands, while at the same going as far as the Zwartkops Raceway outside Pretoria to witness the annual Passion for Speed racing event

Road trip concerns

Not having had the proper opportunity to put its Fox Racing dampers, much vaunted Baja mode and full extent of its twin-turbo 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 engine to the test, the final farewell, including all of the above, came to the fore with a road trip to the Free State for a weekend away from the Big Smoke.

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While this had its own trepidation in the form of how many times the monstrously powerful but 95 unleaded-crazed V6 would have to be filled-up, the eventual distance of 589 km saw the Raptor clocking a more than respectable 12 L/100 km considering not only its 292kW/583N outputs, but 2 479 kg kerb mass and 33-inch all-terrain tyres.

The eventual two month stay and more than 2 000 km eventually netted an overall best consumption figure of 14.7 L/100 km, well down on Ford’s optimistic 11.5 L/100 km claim, but about what was expected when we first took delivery.

In fact, the horror stories of the Raptor’s consumption didn’t come as a nasty surprise as its biggest gain over the previous generation, the powerful six-cylinder petrol, had us knowing the price we were willing to pay in large amounts of fuel bills to prove its worth of the old 2.0-litre Panther bi-turbodiesel.

Riding in comfort

With this in mind, and after brimming the tank for the umpteenth time, setting off to central South Africa saw the attention being taken off of the fuel gauge and onto the position sensitive Fox Racing dampers with what Ford calls Live Valves and the Watt’s rear linkage, which had been redesigned from the old Raptor and made out of aluminium.

Supposed to strike a balance between on-road and off-road driving, albeit with bias to the latter, the setup worked a treat throughout the trip as navigating the typically horrifying Free State roads went under the chunky BF Goodrich tyres without any nasty surprises.

It remains one of the Raptor’s not often discussed surprises seemingly hidden away behind the fuel consumption and the V6’s power, yet, but also expected, the lack of a load results in the rear becoming skittish and tail-happy even in the 4A four-wheel-drive setting.

Besides the ride, comfort in the part leather and Alcantara heated and electric seats also didn’t disappoint as the sun started exiting the “middle province”.

Apart from being comfortable and supportive, the appropriate Code Orange inserts add an element of fun that sets the Raptor apart from any other Ranger and gives the clearest hint yet of how serious it can become, as the choice of hue wants you to believe.

Off-road

As a way of proving this, thoughts of putting its Baja mode to the test on an otherwise compacted gravel road turned serious and a cause for concern as mid-way through the weekend, the heavens opened to turn the road into a water-logged slush fest.

Knowing that the fast-paced off-road setting would require an element of dialling down, selecting it came with some apprehension in part not only to weather, but also the rutted and tramline condition of the road itself

Part of the Raptor’s Terrain Management system, which includes six other settings – Normal, Slippery, Sport, Sand, Mud/Ruts and the low range only Rock Crawl – switching to Baja not only came with a massive thrill, but complete shock as to how Raptor transforms from a “docile” Ranger into the fast running velociraptor it was named after.

As much as it punches you back in the seat, the urgency from the V6 arguably justifies its thirst in a manner the diesel simply wouldn’t even match, even if it had been the 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 that makes 184kW/600Nm in the Wildtrak and Platinum.

Besides the engine’s delivery and angry soundtrack – which automatically go to a Baja-specific setting rather than the default Quiet, Normal, or Sport – Baja puts the Raptor automatically into 4A to aid grip on loose surfaces.

As mind blowing as Baja had been, sampling one of the other modes also presented itself as turning off of the rutted road. The surface changed to a narrow farm road coated in mud, with random puddles thrown in for good measure.

With Mud mode selected after the Baja sprint, the Raptor acquainted itself nicely, despite a few hairy moments in which slow corners saw it come close to sliding off the road and into the Free State greenery.

Throughout the Raptor’s stay, the steering had been switched to Sport mode, as the slightly heavier setting provided a bit more feedback from the admittedly still electric-feeling rack than in either Normal or Comfort settings.

While the majority of the two months saw the General Motors co-developed 10-speed automatic gearbox leave itself to its own devices in Drive, using the magnesium gear shift paddles without resorting to the clumsy manual override made little improvement to what is a relatively slick transmission.

Arguably done on purpose to try and avoid shifting up or down all 10 ratios, flicking the paddles results in a slightly delayed shift, which, as a result of the ‘box being in Drive, sees it resorting back to its normal automatic setting instead of holding on to the selected gear

Being what Ford calls the e-shifter, the stubby touchpad-like lever moves automatically into Park when switched off and left in Drive – another oddity that makes sense.

In charge, inside

As has become the norm, scrolling through the 12-inch SYNC 4A infotainment system becomes easier, although as pointed out numerous times, the portrait-style setup still isn’t easy or straightforward as the old Ranger’s eight-inch SYNC3 system

However, the still button laden layout, including an R button on the steering wheel that provides a detailed “view” of the Raptor specific 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster of the modes selected, is easy to navigate, and the cabin ergonomics are easy to get accustomed to.

Unlike a double cab, space isn’t as cramped as often expected, especially for those at the rear who, apart from good headroom, have just the right amount of legroom and access to rear climate control vents.

Conclusion

As thirsty as preconceived expectations about it had been, there is equally no denying that the second generation Ford Ranger Raptor is as close to a junior F-150 Raptor as the original was as far removed.

Brash, loud and now more American truck than ever, its immense popularity, despite its obvious drawbacks as well as a price tag that now stands at R1 270 000, speaks the loudest of what it offers as a package in a segment of the market it still has to itself.

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